Drive mechanism for rotary web printing machinery



A. M. HALLEY 2,794,389

DRIVE MECHANISM FOR ROTARY WEB PRINTING MACHINERY June 4, 1957 Filed Nov. 9, 1953 A'ITOR NEYS United States Patent "ice DRIVE MECHANISM FOR ROTARY WEB PRlNTING MACHINERY Angus Murray Halley, Moseley, Birmingham, Engiand Application November 9, 1953, Serial No. 390,950

3 Claims. (Cl. 101-219) This invention has reference to improvements connected with printing machinery of the kind wherein the plate cylinder which is inter-changeable with plate cylinders of varying diameters requires to be driven in synchrony with other apparatus such for example as the plate cylinder or cylinders of additional units in the case of a multiple colour unit aniline or letterpress machine and/or with perforating or cutting mechanisms.

With such printing machinery it is normal practice when it is desired to replace a plate cylinder with another plate cylinder of different diameter, to change a pinion in the drive to the plate cylinder thus necessitating the changing of a pinion in the drive to each other plate cylinder in the case of a multiple colour unit aniline or letterpress machine and/or in the drive to the other mechanisms so as to maintain the required synchrony.

The object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the change of a single pinion will permit of the replacement of the plate cylinder by a plate cylinder of a different diameter, whilst automatically retaining the desired synchrony.

The invention comprises a printing machine wherein the mechanism is so arranged that one revolution of the plate cylinder equals one revolution of a pinion governing the gear transmission of the impression cylinder said governing pinion being proportionate to the diameter of the plate cylinder thus efiecting a predetermined ratio of surface speed between the plate cylinder and the change speed gear train connected to the impression cylinder, the gear pinion of the train mounted on the impression cylinder being similarly proportionate to the diameter of the impression cylinder, whereby in consequence the surface speed of the impression cylinder is the same as that of the surface speed of the plate cylinder irrespective of the diameter of the plate cylinder.

By way of example an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing which illustrates sufficient of a unit for an understanding of the invention.

In the drawing 1 represents the impression cylinder around which the web 2 is fed beneath the plate cylinder 3 which receives its ink from an inking roller 4 which in turn receives the ink from the inking cylinder 5.

6 represents the main driving shaft which is coupled to the power source and has mounted thereon a plurality of similar bevel pinions, two of which are shown at 7a and 7b which are in mesh respectively with similar larger bevel pinions 8a and 8b. The bevel pinion 8b is connected to a spur gear 9 which meshes with a similar spur gear 10 coupled to the plate cylinder 3 to give a 1:1 gear ratio between the pinion 8b and the plate cylinder 3. The bevel pinion 8a is mounted on a shaft 11 which carries a removable spur pinion 12 which ,though readily removable is keyed or splined so as to rotate with the shaft 11 and because the pinions 7a and 7b and 8a and 8b respectively are similar, this pinion 12 partakes of one revolution during one revolution of the plate cylinder 3. The pitch line diameter of the pinion 12 is always se- 2,794,389 Patented June 4, 1957 lected so as to be in a fixed ratio to the diameter. of the plate cylinder 3 which is of use. The spur pinion 12, which is the governing pinion of a gear transmission, is adapted to drive through the jockey or adjustable pinion 13, which admits of variations in the diameter of the pinion 12, the pinion 14 secured to the one end of the impression cylinder 1, and the ratio of the pitch line of the pinion 14 to the diameter of the cylinder '1 is the same as the ratio of the pitch line of the pinion '12 to the diameter of the cylinder 3. The impression cylinder 1 carries a further spur pinion 15 which through spur pinions 16 and 17 drive the spur pinion 18 connected to the ink-ing cylinder 5 through a 1:1 ratio.

The impression cylinder 1, together with its connected spur pinions 14 and 15 is adjustable by means of screw rotated eccentric bushes or screw actuated slides in known manner so as to admit of it being adjusted to suit plate cylinders 3 of varying diameters, and to ensure that the drive is always maintained between the pinion 15 .and the pinion 18, the pinion 16 may be carried by arms which are capable of being swung about the axis of rotation of the pinion 17, it being understood that the axis of rotation of the inking cylinder 5 is fixed as is the axis of rotation of the inking roller 4 which is driven by peripheral contact from the inking cylinder 5.

It will be understood that when a plate cylinder of d-ilferent diameter is placed in the machine though its speed of rotation will be the sme its surface speed will change, but due to the fact that the pinion 12 which has been changed for a pinion having a pitch-line diameter in the same fixed proportion to the diameter of the new plate cylinder, the speed of rotation of the impression cylinder, inking cylinder and inking roller will have been changed to accord with the new surface speed of the plate cylinder.

For example, let it be assumed that the machine is designed so that the pitch-line of the pinion 12 is twice the circumference of the plate cylinder 3 then the pitch line of the pinion 14 must be twice the circumference of the cylinder 1.

It, now the plate cylinder 3 is changed for a plate cylinder of twice the circumference, the pinion 12 will be changed for a pinion having a pitch line twice the circumference of the plate cylinder 3 which since the pinion 12 and cylinder 3 are connected by a 1:1 ratio gearing will result in a peripheral speed of the pinion 12 twice that of the surface speed of the cylinder 3. Since the surface speed of the pinion 14 must be the same as the surface speed of the pinion 12, the surface speed of the pinion'14 is twice what it was before, resulting in the doubling of the surface speed of the cylinder '1 to accord with the doubling of the surface speed of the cylinder 3.

Since any cutting unit associated with the mechanism must be'driven at a speed dependent upon the speed of rotation of the plate cylinder 3, if they are driven from the shaft 6 by a bevel pinion equivalent to those shown at 7a and 711 they will be correctly timed'for all changes of the plate cylinder 3, and will be independent of changes of the pinion 12. Alternatively perforating mechanism must be driven at a speed dependent on the surface speed of the impression cylinder so that the drive to the perforating mechanism can be taken from any pinion which is driven directly or indirectly from the governing pinion 12. Further, where the unit shown represents part of a multiple colour unit aniline machine, or letterpress, then when the plate cylinder of one unit is changed the plate cylinder of each of the units will require to be changed to similar cylinders, and to adjust for all these changes it will still only be necessary to change the pinion 12, since the drive to the impression cylinders of each of the other units will be taken from the pinion 12. It will be understood that all the units willabe. mounted inacommon. frame. and eachwillhave a pinion equivalent to that seen at 13 in mesh with the governing pinion 12.

'way of example supposing the machine of which. the-illustrated unit form's: part'was designed for multi! colour. WOI'IQ; and: also incorporated a cutting unit for cutting the sheets as they came from the printing units, thena plur alityrof' bevel pjinions equivalent to 7b willv be providedson the shaft 6 for driving the plurality of plate cylinders and a separate. bevel pinion would also be provided on theshaft, 6, for driving the cutting unit. Only one bevel pinion 7a however would be required for driving: the one pinion 12 through which rotation is imparted to the plurality of impression cylinders from which in turn the; associated inking cylinders, and if desired perforating mechanism, are driven. Thus when the plate cylinder of all theaunits are changed to plate cylinders of a different diameter for a different size of work, it. would still only be necessary to change the single pinion 1:2 to maintain the synchrony of all the operations.

I claim:

1'. In a printing v machine, the combination of a rotat'able impression cylinder, a rotatable plate cylinder cooperative therewith and selectively changeable with another plate cylinder of a different diameter, a driving shaft, driving means for connecting said shaft to the plate cylinder, a train of gearing for connecting said shaft to the impression cylinder, said train of gearing including a change speed pinion having a diameter which is in predetermined proportion to the diameter of the plate cylinder, and a driving pinion on the impression cylinder having a diameter which is in the same predetermined proportion to the diameter of the impression cylinder as the proportion of the diameter of the change speed pinion to the diameter of the plate cylinder, and means for driving the change speed pin-ion and the driving means for the plate cylinder from the driving shaft to rotate the change speed pinion through one revolution to each revolution of the plate cylinder, the change speed pinion being changeable with another pinion of another diametel: havingthe same predetermined. proportional diamet to that of another selected plate cylinder.

2. -In a printing machine; the combination of a rotatable impression cylinder, a rotatable plate cylinder cooperative therewith and changeable with another plate cylinder of a difierent diameter, a constantly rotatable drive shaft, means for rotating. the plate cylinder from said shaft, a train of gearing connecting the drive shaft to the impression cylinder including a driving pinion connected to the impression cylinder and a change speed pinion driven from said shaft, the change speedpinion having a diameter which is in. predetermined proportion to the diameter of the plate cylinder and connected to the drive shaft to make one revolution to each revolu tion of the plate cylinder, and the pinion connected to the impression cylinder being of a diameter having the same predetermined proportion to the diameter of the impression cylinder, whereby the surface speed of the impression cylinder remains thesame as that of. the plate cylinder for plate cylinders of different diameters.

3. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein the axis of the impression cylinder is adjustable to cooperate with plate cylinders of different diameters, and including an inking cylinder for the plate cylinder, a gear c0nnected to the impression cylinder for rotation therewith, anrla train of gears connecting the gear on the impression cylinder and the inking cylinder, one of the gears of said 2 gear train engaging the driving pin-ion of the impression cylinder to be driven thereby and being adjust-able transversely of its axis to conform with adjustments of the axis of the impression cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

